Tim Stutzle isn’t looking back.
For the Ottawa Senators forward, Brady Tkachuk’s departure is done and dusted, and the focus has already shifted to what comes next. Speaking publicly for the first time since Tkachuk requested a trade and was sent to the Panthers in June, Stutzle said he believes Ottawa can still chase a playoff spot this season.
He made those comments Friday to NHL.com’s Tom Gilitti at the National Hockey League’s European media tour in Munich, and he made his stance clear: the move is not going to hang over the team.
“It’s his decision,” Stutzle said Friday. “There’s nothing we can do about it.
For me, he was always a great teammate and, obviously, a great hockey player, and we’re going to miss him. He was always there for me.
But, at the end of the day, we’ve got to move on. We’re going to miss him as a hockey player, as a person and as a leader, but it is what it is.
“We’re focused on what we have ahead of us and the team we have right now. So wish him all the best.”
Stutzle, 24, also said he had no clue Tkachuk wanted out before the trade became public on June 21.
“You don’t really talk to your teammates about that. I love Ottawa and I want to be there for as long as I can.
Maybe other people have different opinions. That’s none of my business.
I’m just trying to focus on what we have, the team we have. We have a great team.
We have a bunch of great guys, so it’s going to be fine,” Stutzle said.
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Senators Ratings Hint At One Big Truth About Ottawas Core
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The more interesting part is how the list frames Ottawas identity. Sttzle and Sanderson sit near the top of the Senators ratings, while Giroux is still carrying a standout number in a key skill that speaks to how important he remains in guiding the offense. Add in Batherson and Chabot landing in the same broad range, and the picture is of a team with real top-end talent, but also one still sorting out exactly whose influence is defining the core as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Stutzle Tries To Set Tone For Senators After Tkachuk Exit
Tim Stutzle says the Senators still have the kind of leadership needed to keep the group moving forward after Brady Tkachuk was dealt to Florida, and that confidence matters with the captain gone from the room. Ottawa has spent the period since the trade reshaping the roster and trying to steady the message internally, with Stutzle part of the core expected to carry more weight as the team adjusts to a different identity.
The captaincy question, though, is still hanging over the organization as the Senators weigh their next step and look at a leadership pool that includes Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Claude Giroux. The Tkachuk move also brought back a haul of future assets, and Ottawa has already kept working around the edges of the lineup, adding William Eklund, Andre Burakovsky and Samuel Ersson while the new hierarchy settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Senators First Round Defense Prospect Faces Big Post-Injury Question
Logan Henslers first season after going in the first round of the 2025 draft had a little of everything for the Senators to sort through. The Wisconsin defenseman showed real progress on the defensive side and some encouraging offensive growth for the Badgers before a late-January lower-body injury abruptly ended his year and kept him out of the World Junior Championships, cutting short what had been a useful stretch of development.
Hensler has since started the long climb back, with recovery underway and a return to the ice by the end of July. For Ottawa, the important question now is less about what he showed before the injury than how quickly he can get back to building on it, because his next steps will help determine how soon he can push himself back into the organizations long-term plans. [Read more 🡒]